The Abundant Life of the Hoh Rain Forest
The Hoh Rain Forest waits as a patient guide, a moss-embroidered forest of wisdom, lined with ferns and storied over with trees older than memory.
The unheard songs of Saddleback Mountain
Saddleback Mountain stands silent, motionless, stoic above frantic, superficial California as a reminder that some remnant of wildness persists beyond the freeways and strip malls.
Grieving and Gratitude: A Remembrance of Lindsay Jones
My remembrance of and tribute to Lindsay Jones, a great teacher, a great friend, and an exemplary human being.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is unlike any other canyon in color, charm, in picturesque calendar-ready beauty, wild and frightening.
Morning on the Riverwalk along the San Antonio River
I greet the day with delight in the cool air of dawn. I am happily surprised to find a sliver of solitude along the San Antonio riverwalk.
Floral portraits
In these flower portraits, the colors, textures, and exquisite delicacy of blooming plants are an appealing target for my lens.
American Sacred Space in the Twenty-first Century
Americans have always been ambivalent about the sacredness of their land, which has made American sacred space a story of perpetual conflict.
Trekking through the Yellowstone “Museum of Wonders”
Wonder-Land Illustrated by Harry J. Norton, published in 1873, was one of the first tourbooks recounting the Yellowstone experience for a general audience.
A Civilized Savagery: Rev. Stanley’s ruminations on his way to Yellowstone
Rev. Edwin J. Stanley’s 1873 tour of Yellowstone made him a witness to “the scepter of the irrepressible white man” in the divine right of Manifest Destiny.
Holy Dirt: Review of The Healing Power of the Santuario de Chimayó
Review of “The Healing Power of the Santuario de Chimayó: America’s Miraculous Church” by Brett Hendrickson.
Are national parks really America’s best idea?
The “best idea” of creating national parks involved eradicating the previous meanings and uses of these places that had sustained indigenous cultures for centuries.
Evolution of the National Park Idea
Tracing the historical origins of the national park idea can be frustrating. In truth, no single individual can take credit for the idea of national parks.